Paramecium - Deutsche Gesellschaft für Protozoologie / German ...

Some interesting new ciliates from the microaerobic and
anaerobic bottom of the Gotlandtief (220 m below NN),
Baltic Sea
Wilhelm Foissner 1 , Klaus Jürgens 2
1 Universität Salzburg, Organismische Biologie
2 Baltic Sea Research Institute Warnemünde
Few data are available on ciliates from deep marine environments.
Thus, we investigated the so-called Gotland depth in the Baltic Sea.
Samples were taken from microaerobic and anaerobic sites close
above the bottom at a depth of about 220 m. Ciliates were studied in
vivo and after silver impregnation. We found about 20 species, most
belonging to the haptorids, prostomatids, and scuticociliatids, some of
which have an outstanding morphology and likely represent new
genera and species. Obviously, deep marine environments are a
further, almost untouched diversity pool, such as floodplain soils and
tanks of bromeliads. Studying ciliates from deep marine environments
poses two major problems: their abundance is usually very low
and they cannot be cultivated with ordinary laboratory conditions.
The poster shows three likely undescribed species, viz. a Metacystis
(Haptoria ?) with several caudal cilia, a Plagiocampa-like prostomatid
with large cortical alveoli, and a Holophrya-like prostomatid
with a specific brush pattern. (Supported by FWF, P-19699-B17.)
wilhelm.foissner@sbg.ac.at
klaus.juergens@io-warnemuende.de
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